Stirling takes speedy route to 66

Cricket: Ireland opening batsman Paul Stirling hit 66 from just 39 deliveries to help Sylhet Royals cement their place in the semi-finals of the Bangladesh Premier League with a crushing 61-run victory over Khulna Royal Bengals.

The 23-year-old from Belfast shared a 134-run opening stand with West Indies star Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who made 66 from 51 deliveries. Stirling hit nine fours and two sixes at the Shere Bangla Stadium in Mirpur as Sylhet went on to record a total of 196 for three from their 20 overs.

In reply, Khulna could only muster 135 for seven, with Afghanistan off-spinner Mohammad Nabi taking three wickets for 28.

The victory moves Sylhet on to 16 points, with just one group game to come against Barisal on Wednesday.

Stirling was signed for just under €23,000 to make his debut in the competition and has scored 251 runs in the 10 games to date, with his strike rate of 171.91 leading the charts for batsmen who have scored over 100 runs.

Fellow Ireland internationals Niall and Kevin O’Brien could also join Stirling in the semi-finals of the competition with the Rangpur Riders, who are currently in fourth spot on the table on run rate.

Rangpur’s final game takes place on Thursday when they take also take on Barisal.

Meanwhile, Ireland captain William Porterfield has signed a two-year contract extension with County Championship Division One champions Warwickshire until the end of the 2015 season.

The 28-year-old from Derry has made 72 appearances in all competitions for Warwickshire since joining them from Gloucestershire two years ago.

He has made an impressive contribution, particularly in List A cricket and was a key figure in the county’s run to the Clydesdale Bank 40 final last season.

Warwickshire’s new director of cricket, Dougie Brown, said: “Because of a reduced international calendar, this is the first winter where we’ve seen a lot of William here at Edgbaston.

“His attitude and commitment towards pre-season training has made a great impact on other members of the squad.

“He’s made great strides in the last few months and we had no hesitation in offering him a chance to commit himself to Warwickshire for the foreseeable future.

“His opening stand of 126 with Varun Chopra in the CB40 semi-final at Old Trafford demonstrated his maturity and ability to perform on the biggest stage.

“His challenge is to do this consistently across all formats of the game and prove himself to be one of the leading batsmen in the domestic game.”

Porterfield said: “I’ve had two fantastic seasons already with Warwickshire and with such a strong squad and a great chance to win more silverware, it was an easy decision to extend my stay here at Edgbaston.

“The majority of the squad has been playing together for a few seasons and we’re all really looking forward to competing for more honours in the new season.”